Homebrew Flitterfolk Species Details

While they might be viewed as bloodsuckers and pests, the truth is Flitterfolk are just as peaceful and misunderstood as their bat brethren. Friendly, reclusive cave dwellers who prefer to spend time listening to the sounds of the world or snuggled together with their family, these tiny bat people are focused more on their survival and staying off of the ground than bothering anyone. 

Big Names for Small Creatures

Flitterfolk have had many names throughout history. Chiroptera, for their winged fingers, and Natbakka for their nighttime tendencies and close relationship to bats. “Goblins with wings” is a common insult attributed to them, but batfolk is the more common term for them among other creatures. They prefer to call themselves flitterfolk.

No one is sure how they came to be. Nastier rumors from their enemies say they’re descendants of vampires, or from some sort of demonic ritual merging the soul of a human into a bat’s body. Other myths claim they crawled from the Underdark, or that they were birthed from familiars who denied a role of servitude. Ironically, they’re rather harmless and docile. They reach only about four feet at their tallest height, and that’s mostly thanks to their large ears. They have soft, short fur and thick, velvety wings attached to their clawed fingers on both arms. Aside from those traits, they can vary wildly in appearance depending on their colony and where they make their homes. Some have more fox-like snouts and large, dark eyes, while others have pointy noses and a more impish face. They can have long tails or short, be long and lithe, or round and tiny. Their fur comes in a variety of natural shades, from black to gray to reddish-brown. Rarer colors are white and orange. Their eyes are usually round and dark, and their eyesight isn’t very good.

Peaceful Cave Dwellers

While some prefer to live alone, most flitterfolk live in colonies, ranging from as few as six to a few thousand dwelling within a forest or cave. Caves in temperate or tropical climates are the preferred home, since flitterfolk do not need light to see and it protects them from predators. They emerge at dusk to hunt for bugs, fruit, and small game, and otherwise stay nestled together and hanging from the roof of their cave. Rumor claims they drink blood, but in reality, fruit is their favorite snack and is often seen as a dessert or candy. Blood-sucking used to be a more common practice, and blood can be lived on, but it's died out and only persists in a few colonies now. It’s rare to find two unrelated colonies in the same place, and if there is more than one it’s likely that they’re offshoots of a fast-growing colony rather than territorial rivals. 

Colonies are matriarchal and have strong bonds within the members. While they seldom have organization enough for marriage, flitterfolk do mate for life and raise their pups in monogamous pairs. They groom each other, help care for each other’s young and old, and snuggle together for warmth in the cold seasons. Aside from these colonies, they prefer to keep to themselves and seldom interact with larger creatures that could prey on them. Swarms of bats can sometimes be found near these colonies, being viewed as neighbors or even pets. Survival trumps all other instincts, but when it comes to spirituality, flitterfolk prefer gods of night and nature. Magic is viewed as an abnormality but not a flaw; colony leaders who practice it are given the utmost respect and awe.

Some flitterfolk prefer more solitary lives away from their own kin, and others might find themselves in service to vampires or other powerful creatures. Sometimes whole colonies are enslaved by these overlords unwillingly, and forced to serve them for survival. Flitterfolk would much rather flee or hide from violence rather than face it, leaving them untrained for battle and vulnerable to more powerful creatures. Some, typically more aggressive colonies. make their homes in caves with other creatures willingly, with the most common being goblins. 

Blind as a Bat

Flitterfolk eyesight is notoriously terrible, especially in bright light. However they more than make up for it. Their sense of smell is incredibly sharp, but it’s their ears that steal the show. Their ears, and the rest of their body to a lesser extent, have incredibly thin muscles and nerves that send out and sense vibrations in the air, giving them a clear mental image of the world around them without ever needing to open their eyes. They can detect tiny insects just by the vibrations of their wings. 

Because of their poor sight, flitterfolk have no written language. Chiro, their language of choice, is exclusively a spoken, and sounds like nothing but chirps, squeaks, and purrs to untrained ears. The syllables are incredibly similar, which makes it hard to learn, but sensitive flitterfolk ears can easily pick up the differences in words. 

This can sometimes be a double-edged sword, however. Flitterfolk are incredibly sensitive to loud noises—yet another reason to avoid densely populated areas and stick to their tiny colonies. 

Nocturnal Fliers

They’re nocturnal, sleeping during the day and waking up once the sun begins to set. They prefer to hunt during dusk, and spend the rest of their night eating and socializing. Their poor eyesight is probably what led to this, and now they take comfort in the dark. The sleep schedule can be changed so that they grow used to sunlight, but a flitterfolk will almost always long for the night.

Flitterfolk exclusively sleep upside down, hanging from a cave ceiling or tree branch by their feet. This is called roosting, and they have trouble sleeping if they’re unable to do so.  While roosting, they also drop their body temperature to preserve energy, which helps them be ready to hunt again. They have to consume a lot of food to keep up the energy for flight, meaning any and all means to conserve it come in handy. Flitterfolk are small, vulnerable creatures and the ground is not a welcoming place for them. They prefer to fly, and cover much more ground on wing rather than on foot. Some struggle so much on the ground that they hop rather than walk, using their wings to propel them. While of course their are exceptions—some have been known to effortlessly hop from tree to tree in thickly wooded areas and others can be quite cat-like, moving on all fours on the ground with impressive ease—a common saying among them is this: "A grounded bat is a dead one."

Fun and Flighty

While survival drives flitterfolk, they aren't above their fun. Among their families and friends, they're curious and jumpy creatures, and pups especially can't seem to sit still to save their lives. They're drawn to sounds and love to explore and find new things. They love chanting, music, and song. Pups are known to chatter and argue for the sake of hearing themselves talk, while adults grow more fond of listening to other sounds. They're great listeners and will roost in a place for hours just to hear every buzz and bird-call, every sound on the breeze. 

While colonies are untrustworthy of visitors, lone or adolescent flitterfolk like to poke their noses into whatever they can. This often results in them getting into trouble, leaving many larger creatures to regard them as pests. Property damage and theft are the most common, as ownership and the economy at large doesn't register in their minds. However these curious creatures seldom mean any harm by their snooping, and just like to hear, feel, and taste whatever they can get their fingers on. In fact, as long as a flitterfolk doesn't feel threatened, they're quite friendly. 

Flitterfolk Names

Chiro is a language of high-pitched chirps, clicks, and trills. Most names are monosyllabic and sound similar with changes in tone so slight in pitch that only a flitterfolk's sensitive ears can hear them. But they're more than willing to translate or take on more palatable names for those who struggle with the odd, precise tones of their native language. Some simply make names out of the phonetic spellings of their names, while others call themselves by utilitarian names based upon what they do. Many flitterfolk are happy to let those they introduce themselves to name them, meaning that there's no specific convention for names outside of the colonies themselves.

Phonetic Names: Chirp, Yip, Purr,  Mew, Prip, Trill, Snip, Yelp, Murm, Purp, Bark, Yap

Utilitarian Names: Fly-catcher, Quick-swoop, Night-wing, White-throat, Soft-cry, Swift-swallow, Fig-eater, Wild-flap, Sharp-bite

Flitterfolk Traits

While flitterfolk vary in appearance, habitat, and behavior, they will have the following traits in common.

Blindsight

Your eyesight is very poor, especially in bright light. However, thanks to your echolocation, you have Blindsight and are capable of seeing just as well as any creature, whether it be dark or not. You also cannot be blinded. 

Sound Sensitivity

Your ears are incredibly sensitive due to your echolocation, which can sometimes bring you harm. You are vulnerable to thunder damage due to the loud noise that accompanies it. 

Keen Senses

You have proficiency with the Perception skill.

Ability Score Increase

Your Dexterity score increases by 2, and your Wisdom score increases by 1. Your Strength score decreases by 2.

Age

Flitterfolk reach maturity by age 3. Compared to humans, flitterfolk don’t usually live longer than 30 years. The longest lifespan on record was 41 years old. 

Alignment

Most flitterfolk tend to be driven by survival and their families, making neutral and good the most common alignments. However any alignment can be possible, especially for most solitary flitterfolk. 

Size

Flitterfolk vary in size by colony and region, but they never get taller than 4 four feet or smaller than 2. You are incredibly lightweight, allowing for flight. Your size is Small.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 20 feet. 

Flight

You have two leathery wings attached to you by your arms and hands. You have a flying speed of 50 feet. To use this speed, you can’t be wearing medium or heavy armor.

Tooth and Nail

You are proficient with your unarmed strikes, which deal 1d4 piercing (for bites) or slashing (for claws) damage on a hit.

Languages

You can speak Chiro, but due to it having no written form, you cannot read or write it. You can, however, speak, read, and write Common and Goblin.